Pages of Interest

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

#Excerpt: LAST MISSION OF THE LIVING by Rhiannon Frater

Excerpt:

Lindsey awoke
with a start. It took her a second to comprehend it was her wristlet vibrating
that had awakened her. Activating the screen, she saw the message was incoming
from her secret program. Instantly, her heart started to beat wildly with
excitement. Still a little tipsy from the tequila, she edged out from beneath
Torran’s long leg and arm and scooted to the ladder.

Once on the
main floor, she sat at her computer array beneath the elevated bed, and she
logged into the program. After several long, excruciating seconds, the message
downloaded. It was from Maria. Gnawing on her bottom lip, Lindsey quickly scrolled
through it. The message was short, but worrying.

Lindsey, Dwayne and I need to talk to you and Commandant
Pierce ASAP. Call tomorrow at exactly 1600 hours.

Realizing she
needed to be careful with how many times she contacted Maria, Lindsey
hesitated, weighing whether or not she should respond or just wait until the
designated time. Finally, she typed in a short note signaling she’d received
the message and logged out of the program. Gnawing on her thumbnail, she stared
at the screens. She wanted to hack into the SWD and government sites and search
out information on the new Legatus, but didn’t dare do it while Torran was
around.

“You look
worried.”

Lindsey gazed
upward to see Torran peering at her over the rail of her bed.

“I’m always
worried in the back of my mind.” With a sheepish smile, she shrugged slightly. “Well,
not worried exactly. I’m always got some fixation back in the gray matter.”

“Sort of like
you got a computer program running in the back of your mind sorting things out?”
Torran ventured.

Surprised that
he got it so right, Lindsey gazed at him in awe.

“You get a look
in your eyes. Like you’re processing something.” Torran slipped over the side
of the bed and dropped down. “Considering your very nice computer display, I’m
going to guess that you’re good at working with them, too.”

“My father was
a programmer. He taught me everything I know.”

“But you had
the natural talent, too, huh?”

“You can say
that.” Lindsey uneasily shifted her weight on her chair, not willing to let
Torran too far into her personal headspace.

“But you’re a
grunt. Not a programmer.”

Lindsey
swiveled toward him and shrugged. “I wanted to do something different. I didn’t
want to follow in someone else’s footsteps but make my own path.”

With a slight
nod, Torran rested his hands on the edge of her bed and stretched. It was very
provocative and she was distracted by the muscles shifting beneath his skin.
She wanted to be distracted. Fear was a tight knot in her gut.

“And you don’t
want to talk about it.”

“Nope.”

“Is this where
we draw lines?” Torran asked, tilting his head.

“Yep.” Lindsey
slid to her feet and ran her hands down his chest. “We’re getting to know each
other. We’re getting to be friends. But not only did I lose the stupid ex, but
my best friend. I need a new friend.”

“A friend with
benefits.” Torran stared into her eyes somberly. “I’m there with you.”

“Are you?”
Lindsey really hoped he was, because she liked him.

“This life is
too uncertain,” he said at last. “Better to keep things simple. Uncomplicated.”

“Let’s enjoy
the rest of the night before we have to go back to the real world.” Lindsey
rubbed her lips against his chin softly.

Torran cupped
her face and kissed her lightly. “I better go.”

“Torran...”

“No, Lindsey. I
should. You see, if I stay any longer I won’t want to go back to the real
world.”

Frowning, she
feared she’d made a misstep with him.

“The thing is
this... you’re a great girl. And I think we’re going to be great friends. But
we need boundaries. Sleeping here tonight... a little too much over the line.”

“So don’t
sleep.” Lindsey gave him the beguiling look that seemed to affect him so much.

“Oh, that’s
playing so dirty.” Torran laughed.

“One more time,
then you can go home.” Lindsey turned up her flirty look, her fingers lightly
touching his hip.

“Fine. But...
boundaries.”

“Right.”

His kiss
rendered her breathless.

***

Book &
Author Details:

The Last Mission of the Living by Rhiannon Frater
(The Last Bastion)
Publication date: August 28th 2014
Genres: Adult, Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombies

Synopsis:

Humanity teeters on the brink of extinction…

Vanguard Lindsay Rooney has faced the undead hordes of Inferi Scourge and
lived to tell the tale, but she has also suffered horrible losses. Like millions
of other civilians, she had hoped that The Bastion would recover after a
team of modified soldiers eradicated the undead hordes of Inferi Scourge
that infested their valley. Yet the city still crumbles around them, along
with any chance of survival.

Lindsey’s growing friendship with Torran MacDonald, an officer with the
Science Warfare division, is her only solace as the decline of the city continues.
When food riots fill the streets, martial law is enacted, and the upper
echelons of government battle for control of the city, Lindsey is conscripted
by her superiors to embark on a dangerous mission into the dead world
beyond The Bastion. To add even more complications, Torran and the
SWD join the squad.

Soon, Lindsey realizes that her mission is more than what it seems, and
there are secrets that could both destroy The Bastion and take her life.

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of over a dozen
books, including the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor), as well
as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living (declared the #1 Zombie
Release of 2012 by Explorations Fantasy Blog and the #1 Zombie Novel of the
Decade by B&N Book Blog), and other horror novels. In 2014, her newest
horror novel, The Mesmerized, will be released by Permuted Press. Dead
Spots will be published in 2015 by Tor. She was born and raised a
Texan and presently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and furry children
(a.k.a pets). She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows,
playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for
Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.

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